The Sweeper

Starring:C. Thomas Howell, Jeff Fahey, Ed Lauter, Kristen Dalton, Janet Gunn, Felton Perry, Max Elliott Slade, Cynda Williams, Kathrin Lautner, Mark Knudsen, John Saint Ryan, Jim O'Malley, Jon Ingrassia, Christopher Allport, Michael Shamus Wiles, Shannon Welles, Steve Eastin, Tim Colceri, Robert Lewis Stephenson, Angelo Di Mascio Jr.
Director: Joseph Merhi
Studio: Trinity Home Ent
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Short on plot, long on action!
Cute... But unfortunately I was not swept away.
A good action film

The Sweeper
Starring: C. Thomas Howell , Jeff Fahey , Ed Lauter , Kristen Dalton , and Janet Gunn
Director: Joseph Merhi
Manufacturer: Trinity Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Code Name: Dancer
Rage
High Voltage
Executive Target
Steel Frontier

ASIN: B0001WTVLQ
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Customer Reviews:

Short on plot, long on action!.......2005-11-02

In "The Sweeper," C. Thomas Howell of "Red Dawn" and "The Outsiders" fame turns in an Oscar winning performance as a vacuum cleaner looking for love in Los Angeles. Sorry, I couldn't resist. I see this Joseph Merhi actioner listed here as "Sweeper," leaving out the all important "The." Not that it matters. ANYWAY, we've got another low budget action film starring C. Thomas Howell. You should hear alarm bells and see red flags all over the place! What happened to Howell, anyway? How do you go from schmoozing with Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, and Tom Cruise to having your name mentioned in the same sentence with Dean Cain and Lorenzo Lamas? Not good. There was that brief reemergence when he made that volleyball flick with Peter Horton, a movie that played on a perpetual loop on pay cable outlets a decade ago, but the subsequent years have marked a serious reversal of fortune for this once promising actor. I still get a kick out of watching him, but he's definitely not A-list material. No Hollywood mover and shaker would dare take the lead role in this film. Too bad, because Merhi's little actioner is a slam bang, take no prisoners flick that will bring you to your feet again and again.

Howell plays Mark Goddard, your typical out on the edge cop nursing some serious grievances with life. He's always in trouble with the department for taking unnecessary chances, his ex-wife can't stand him, and memories of his father's death plagues his every waking moment. We see what happened to Dad (played by Jeff Fahey) at the beginning of the film. Well, first we see Pop on a typical day patrolling the city. In other words, a chase sequence on a pier results in the death or serious injury of dozens upon dozens of innocent bystanders--all shown in loving close up. Goddard's father saves the day in the end, I guess, only to perish later at home from a shotgun blast to the chest delivered by a gang of crooked cops angered that their fellow officer refused to join their ranks. These guys go ahead and kill Mark's entire family, and even shoot Mark too, but he survives to grow up and become an officer in the fine tradition of his father. Whatta guy! Anyway, this experience has given our anti-hero a rather bleak view of criminals. He would much rather come in with guns blazing than waste time filling out paperwork. We see a few examples of Mark's detective work, one of which involves a really cool scene where he flies off a building with a bad guy.

Goddard is such a loose cannon that a gang of vigilante cops led by a chap named Molls (Ed Lauter) approaches him with a recruitment offer. Mark can kill bad guys all he wants without having to worry about lawyers, laws, and all those other pesky things that get in the way of real police work. He can also have scads of money, fine clothes, and a nice house. To show Mark he's on the up and up, Molls executes a criminal right in front of him. It's hard to turn down such an offer, and soon Goddard is teamed up with a sexy female agent named Rachel (Kristen Dalton) to take down the baddies. While Mark tries to reconcile with his estranged wife--he's now got the money to provide her with anything she needs--he's also busy trying to learn the ropes in his new organization. Tempers flare over some of Goddard's activities. And remember how our hero's father died at the hands of dirty cops? Mark uses his association with the gang to inquire about the whereabouts of some of the officers responsible for the killing. Molls leads him on, always mentioning that he'll provide information as soon as Goddard pulls off one more assignment. You can probably guess what eventually happens. If not, you haven't seen enough of these types of films.

I don't care about the plot. It's basic and helps move the film along. I also don't care about the acting. Howell, Lauter, and the rest give just enough to move the film along. What I do care about is the action, and "The Sweeper" has action seeping out of its every pore. Merhi's film is pure mindless fodder, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The movie is nothing more than a series of explosions and imaginative action scenes stitched together into an hour and a half runtime. With a body count that rises into the triple digits, "The Sweeper" treats us to an extended car chase involving exploding propane tanks sending automobiles flying through the air. We get shoot outs with drug gangs, another extensive shoot out in a heavily guarded compound, foot chases, fist fights, bodies falling out of buildings, and an airplane sequence that sees Mark Goddard hanging onto the wing for dear life. All of these activities come slathered with bursting squibs and ridiculously over the top explosions! Oh yeah! Hardly five minutes go by without a major action sequence taking place. That, my friends, is an action movie!

"The Sweeper" on DVD is a bare bones affair. No extras, not even a trailer, and a full screen presentation to boot. Oh well. You really won't care while you're watching the movie. I'm giving the movie five stars for sheer energy alone. Merhi's film is one of the best action films I've seen this year, and this in spite of the threadbare plot and average acting. Who cares when you've got this many cartwheeling bodies and whizzing bullets? C. Thomas Howell might not be making Oscar winners anymore, but he sure knows how to crank out an entertaining film. I can't praise this film enough!

Cute... But unfortunately I was not swept away........2003-10-12

Starring C. Thomas Howell who had his first hit with Francis Coppola's The Outsiders.

Unfortunately, this movie does not even seem to have the umph of even a TV show like Cops or NYPD let alone a feature movie - even if it was a "straight to video" release. First of all, the movie itself is very lacking in how it's plot unfolds, climaxes and ultimately concludes.

In the beginning Howell's character Mark Goodard sees his entire family wiped out (rather, he is there when it takes place...hiding in a bathroom). One of the perpetrators confronts him and shoots him but failed to kill him...or something like that. Flash 15 years later, we find Howell as a cop who is divorced from his wife and doing his shoot 'em up thing. He received an offer to join an elite group of warriors for justice called JI or Justice Incorporated, reluctantly he joins hoping they can tell him about who killed his family -- so they promised. He carries out his assignments in administrating justice with ease...too much ease that is. Everything falls into his proverbial lap. I figured this was just filler unto he came to the ultimate fight, taking out the killers of his family.

Ok so he find out that JI is actually the culprit when one of the people he is sent out to knockoff is a cop who was his father's partner. It seems that something is missing in how Howell becomes convinced that the JI people had a hand in his family's death. Anyway, he simply and I mean simply knocks the entire group off without so much as a fight...However the boss gets away. There is a car chase(oh really?) and then an airplane getaway. Goodard actually manages to get on the plane as it is taking off by jumping from his car. A rather lame and tame fight takes place once Goddard is on the wing. There is no erratic flying in order to try to knock the cop off as he hangs on the landing gear and climbs up, no gun fire, no nothing. It's almost as if the plane's occupant's are oblivious to what's going on. Ok the boss falls to his death and well that's it! No real dramatic climax, no getting wounded shot etc. Sort of like James Bond but even though he comes out unscathed it ain't without a fight.

The movie ends rather abruptly leaving no real resolution. One question I have was why Mark Goodard was recruited by a people who knew he was the one whose family they killed. I guess one could conclude it was hopefully to knock him off but that did not seem to be the case. What about after the boss was knocked of the plane? Goodard yells to the pilot "put us down of your next! On the ground. He then sits back exhausted. I guess the pilot landed without any resistance. OH PULLLLEASE!
Here is some resolution: Goodard and his wife get back together.

As for Howell's character, Howell does not make a convincing tough guy any more than Britney Spears makes a convincing version of "I Love Rock n Roll". His voice even seems to give him away here as well as all of his oohs and uhhs and yelps as he chases his enemies.

Tommy if you read this please don't be mad.

A good action film.......2003-07-28

Story: After a little boy witnesses his family getting murdered, he manages to survive the attack from brutal people. Now as he is an adult, he is a good cop who sometimes his rage dominates him. He is asked to join a secret police organization where he is given the chance to kill criminals as well as get payed for it.
Review: This film has a very simple formula to it which consists of a storyline that is very simple and straight. The movie is well paced with the action sequences. Rated R for violence and some sexual content this movie is intended for mature audiences. Overall this movie is worth buying.

Average customer rating:

Beyond the Grave
Time passes.
The Disco Before the Breakdown

Gungrave - The Sweeper (Vol. 2)
Starring: Gungrave
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002CHJ2I
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Description

Harry's continuing thirst for power is magnified upon the arrival of Bob and Lee, the two newest members of Millennion. Brandon continues on as a sweeper for the organization until the mystery of Maria's whereabouts soon lead him to Big Daddy's villa. 5 years have passed, and Millennion is stronger than ever. Harry's motives are still in play while Brandon continues on as a loyal confidant. A grand garden party reveals conspiracies among Millennion's members while old friends in the "family" face off to deliver justice to the murderer of one of their own.

Customer Reviews:

Beyond the Grave.......2005-06-22

This set of four episodes really establishes what the Millenion empire is all about, and how Brandon and Harry get themselves in good with the organization. Anyone who is a fan of the video games (like myself) already knows how it all ends, but this detailed look into the past makes one wonder how all that happens later came to be. No real foreshadowing is made in these episodes, but they lay a sturdy framework of characterization and relationships that are further strengthened later on. The sense of danger and brutality of the situations at hand is what really makes this series tick, as you will find yourself hanging on every gun drawn and every bullet fired. They are mobsters, but they have feelings, they respect life, and they paint the kind of interesting picture not seen too much in anime. Highest recommendations for this fantastic work of art.

Time passes........2005-03-26

This dvd continues on with Brandon and Harry arriving at the steps of Millenion. This dvd basically chronicles Brandon and Harry's rise through the ranks of Millenion. Brandon later finds out about Maria and is later introduced to Big Daddy who actually could pass for anyones grandfather. Big Daddy and Brandon form a father-son relationship and become close. Then during a party Brandon proves his loyalty and love for Big Daddy by taking a bullet for him. This is one of the pivotal points in the series. Fastforward a couple of years later, Brandon has become the number 1 sweeper for the organization and Harry's ambitions continue to grow. Enter in a few new faces to the mix, Bob Poundmax the overeating intelligence expert, Balladbird Lee Harry's new right hand man, and Bunji Kugashira the lone wolf gunman who later serves as an apprentice of sorts to Brandon. All of them become friends and Harry and Brandon are inducted into the family. However in the events to follow darkness looms over the horizon for both Harry and Brandon.

If you loved the first disc then this one is going to be the icing on the cake.

The Disco Before the Breakdown.......2004-07-05

My apologies for using the title of an Against Me! song for an anime review, but it really suits the content of the episodes contained on this disc very well.

The betrayal is coming, inevitably. Before events rise to a climax, Brandon and Harry establish a stronger relationship together through their involvement with Brad Wong and Cannon Balkan, who plan to bring down Millenion through the use of lab-synthesized monsters. Bear Walken, Kugashira Bunji, Balladbird Lee, and Bob are all drawn in further in their relations with Harry, future leader of the syndicate.

Amazon.com

This 1993 TV show based on a manga serial by Takashi Shiina was extremely popular in Japan when it first aired, although it's difficult to understand why. The blond, miniskirted title character is a venal exorcist or "Ghost Sweeper" with a typically mismatched crew of assistants. In the opening episodes, Mikami is pitted against the resurrected Nosferatu, a super-vampire from the past. She initially refuses to kill him because she might damage the valuable "divine stone" on the end of the spear she received from a long-dead samurai. Director Atsutoshi Umezawa tries to achieve the over-the-top freneticism of Slayers with hysterical vocal performances and staccato editing, but he mixes in grotesque visuals that might have been lifted from Devil Man. The results are too silly to be frightening but too gory to be funny. Unrated; suitable for ages 16 and up: Violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery, alcohol use. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

For fans of the TV series.......2002-08-05

If you have not seen at least a few episodes of the TV series it you may not enjoy this movie since it is set at the end of the series. There is no introduction to the charactors since it is expected you know them from watching the series. It's too bad that non of the TV series has been released in R1.

Note: The english track has had all of the music replaced, and music has been added where there is non in the original. The Japanese track has not been changed.

Hard to enjoy if you have never seen the previous episodes........2002-07-01

I first watched "Ghost Sweeper Mikami" back in 1994 and the first episodes of the TV series were humorous and I enjoyed it a lot.

The television series introduced a a money loving ghost-demon-vamprie hunter named Mikami and in each episode we get to know more about her and each member of her team that joins her for each case.

This is what I enjoyed about the television series is the fact that you got a chance to grow with the characters and fully enjoy the series because it is a humorous series and quite fun.

Almost a decade later, the DVD of the series is finally released in the US but not the release that I was expecting.

"Ghost Sweeper Mikami" features the final two episodes of the anime television series and what I enjoyed the series for, the ability to grow and enjoy the characters has been removed from this series.

What you see is a group of people assisting Mikami going against Nosferatu. No one knows about the other characters and why they act the way they do and thus my feeling is that people who watch this are not really going to get it.

Hopefully Manga Entertainment will plan to release the series on DVD but with the final two TV episodes combined to make like a movie, just doesn't seem right without the proper background knowledge of the characters. Without it, you can't really appreciate this anime.

As for the DVD, since this was a TV series based in the early 90's, you can't expect top notch anime compared to movies or OAV's but you get to watch a series created by cels instead of the typical comptuer animation used in anime today.

As for audio, the digital 5.1 has an awesome track but since I'm a Japanese language purists, I rather watch the series in that format via English subtitles but I did switch time from time to hear the 5.1 track which was really good.

As for special features, there's a photo gallery and character bio information and of course the typical Manga trailers they include on every DVD.

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